I got paid once 14 grand in cash as a first draw on a job I did. Very surprised, I was on the streets of Atlanta, so I wrapped it up in a home depot bag and shoved it in my pants........ Long story short, have you ever tried to hide that kind of cash from your wife before you could get it to the bank???That is why I like checks.

your listing is really a set of production and $ assumption. to get some real idea of how things might work out run you financial numbers by inputing these assumption at various level (like what if I have to take 50 cents less per pound for my honey or what happens if I change my depreciation assumption to 5 years and not 6, or what if my production is cut in half due to drought).

I live in Baltimore City, Maryland, and I recently came across a rather interesting business model. Bmore Honey is a not for profit organization and Community Supported Apiary. They received start up costs from Whole Foods. They then place a hive in an area when 5 (or 6?) people join the CSA at $45/share. They give 1 lb of honey to each share member. They leave a substantial amount of honey for the bees, and the amount left over they sell at Whole Foods. Whole Foods then gives the proceeds (all of it) back to the CSA. They do outreach and stuff - just remember you can't show a profit. So are you going to try it?

They then place a hive in an area when 5 (or 6?) people join the CSA at $45/share. They give 1 lb of honey to each share member. They leave a substantial amount of honey for the bees, and the amount left over they sell at Whole Foods. Whole Foods then gives the proceeds (all of it) back to the CSA. They do outreach and stuff - just remember you can't show a profit. So are you going to try it?

So do the share holders get a check back from the profits of the proceeds?

So do the share holders get a check back from the profits of the proceeds?

No, the proceeds go to the business. The members of the CSA get 1lb (and 1lb only) of honey, and reportedly, a warm fuzzy feeling. If you were to purchase 5 shares, you would get 5lbs of honey plus a "honey pot". I'm really liking this business model, but they assure me that their honey, bees, and methods of beekeeping are better than everyone else's. That's the kind of hype you need to sell premium honey. Good Luck. James

$46 for a pound of honey and a warm fuzzy feeling? What a deal! Where can I buy in? Or is this a "call within the next twenty minutes 'cause we can't do this all day" sort of thing?....Sheesh, I don't even have THOSE cahones.

Scott

Logged

"In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person's becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag...We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language...And we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."

$46 for a pound of honey and a warm fuzzy feeling? What a deal! Where can I buy in? Or is this a "call within the next twenty minutes 'cause we can't do this all day" sort of thing?....Sheesh, I don't even have THOSE cahones.

Scott

No, one share is $45 and you get 1 lb of honey. But the best part is she got a start up grant (doesn't have to repay it) from Whole Foods - $15000. And they'll sell all of her honey and give her all of the proceeds from it - no standing at a lonely table at a farmer's market. She does talks, and teaches kids about honey and bees, so there is other stuff involved. I think it's a pretty interesting model.

I wonder how many beeks diversify their operations. That's what I have to do in my main business of wildlife control. Everyone thinks it's all about catching the animal but in reality the animal is just my foot in the door. The real money is in animal proofing structures and I often throw in the trapping as a "loss leader" to get the exclusion work and of course while I'm on the ladder roofs need repair, gutters cleaned, and a whole assortment of other items. This coming year I am adding animal habitats such as bat houses (natural mosquito control), bird houses (5 models of bluebird boxes), barn, barred and screech owl nesting boxes (natural rodent control), martin houses and gourds (day shift mosquito control). I may even branch into offering TBH and Warres if there is a market. I am going to establish my own beeyard this spring and want to delve into getting the ferals I cutout into the hands of beeks and maybe get to the point that I can offer feral stock to the beek community. Honey would not be my main goal though it will have to be there as part of the total package.

This talk of a business model is interesting as that is what I have been going through.

I live in Nicaragua where I pay $100 a month for a man to take care of my coffee farm full time. By increasing his is salary a little he is anxious to learn beekeeping. That takes a little burden off of me.

Now, I am new and cannot guarantee all that has been reported:#1 = Our local bee union exported 60 barrels of honey in 2011 (winter is 60% over now) at $700 per barrel. All bees within the local union are AHB. The claim is that they always get between 100 and 200 pounds.

#2 = My friend exported 6 barrels (plus local sales) on 39 hives of Italian queen / AHB. The export price was the same @ $700/barrel. This is about 100# (and I do believe this report).

The temp never gets below 70 F and there are blooms 12 months per year. I get 52 inches of rain / year.

None of the beekeepers think of any product as revenue except honey… which is intere4sting.